Firefly
by Hysteric Blue Ashes
Summary: One look was enough to replace a two-hour conversation between us. One look was also enough for us to jump at each other's throat unexpectedly, with no apparent reason." Kyuzo x OC
1. Chapter 1

The moment I saw him, the next line of the lullaby died on my lips and my legs simply froze. I had never seen anyone with that hair color before. Was he some sort of… god? He must have at least been a prince: his two swords were the best argument I could come up with, but there was also something about **him**.

My eyes traveled from his elegant swords in their double scabbard back to his blonde hair, on which stray sunrays danced, guided through the leaves above. He was asleep. I could almost see his chest rise slowly through the crimson trench coat he wore. In almost eleven years of existence, I had never seen anything more beautiful, simple as it was.

However, something caught my eye; a flaw, located on his upper, left arm. I could tell it was a blade cut even before I saw the bleeding wound staining the material. My eyes saddened and my fingers fiddled with the hem of my shirt until I managed to rip a big piece of it. Careful not to wake him up, I approached him.

A silver flash of light caught my attention immediately, making me halt, startled. The sharp point of a katana was only a few inches from the tip of my nose. I let out a small gasp and my knees melt under me, leaving me to fall on my bottom, on the soft grass.

"Do you have a wish of death?" a deep growl echoed in the air as the katana was put back into its scabbard.

"N-no…" I breathed out, raising my eyes to meet the man's reddish-brown ones.

A singing bird broke the silence between us, keeping the nature entertained while I was trying to get back into my senses.

"Hey, mister? A-are you a prince?"

He slowly turned his gaze back to me and frowned.

"Samurai." he replied curtly.

I stared at him for a few moments, contemplating that word. He stared back, as if expecting some reaction. I only frowned slightly and muttered to myself.

"My parents were samurai."

I'm sure he heard, but he had no reaction whatsoever.

"What happened to your hair?" I suddenly asked, fixing him carefully, but lowering my lashes.

He blinked calmly and looked away, leaning back on the tree. He had dark circles under his eyes, so I figured out he hadn't slept in a while.

"The same thing that happened to your eyes perhaps." he said.

I 'hmphed' and turned my head towards the small stream to the left, a light blush growing visible on my cheeks. People always picked on me for the color of my eyes, since light silver was an unusual color in the world I knew. But then again, people must have picked on him a lot too, for the color of his hair. Thank kami my hair was a normal jet-black, wavy and tousled like a halo around my head.

I suddenly remembered the reason I was sitting on the grass and got up, wetting the piece of cloth in my hand in the cold river water. The blond watched me as I knelt next to him and did my best to clean his wound, then wash the piece of shirt and tie it around his arm.

"Your mother is not going to like that." he said, looking at my ripped shirt.

"Don't worry; I'm an orphan, Kyuu-chan!" I smiled bravely.

He repeated the nickname in a low, inquiring voice I considered funny, though he probably couldn't find anything funny about it.

"Well, I didn't know your name, so I came up with one for the moment. You can tell me your name now."

"Kyuzo." he replied after a little break.

I stared at him in disbelief for a few moments, then smiled and shrugged. I found coincidences rather amusing. He didn't find out my name, though. Even after a few days in which I had followed him quietly everywhere he went, he still didn't know my name. He hadn't asked for it and I was going to give it to him if he would, of course. But until then, my mouth was sealed.

Even as a child, I could tell Kyuzo was an inborn loner. He only worked with a partner if he had no choice and even then, he was more than reluctant to cooperate. And yet he didn't seem bothered by my presence, always quiet, like a small shadow. He didn't need to turn around to see that I was following him. I had never once asked him anything; I didn't question his actions or slow him down in any way. No complaints, no whining, no words at all. I was doing my best to stay out of his way and, at the same time watch over him. He must have appreciated that in his own way, since he made sure I wouldn't lack food or be cold at night.

We slept outside most of the nights and Kyuzo had a passion for sleeping in the forest, where no one could find us. He usually picked a tree: I climbed on the nearest comfortable branch and he sat at the base, a few years of experience making his sleep superficial enough for him to be still vigilant. The one time we spent the night at an inn, our room – the only one free – had only one bed and we both slept on the floor, on either side of it.

Kyuzo probably noticed I liked to watch him every time he drew his swords; I was fascinated by those deadly weapons as much as I resented them. My muscles would flinch involuntarily when he handled his twin katanas, imagining myself in his place. I despised all other samurai except him.

--

"Nee, Kyuu-chan…"

I called, waiting for the silence to respond in his place.

"I don't like your employer." I continued, not bothered by his quietude. "Why do you put up with him?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer."

But I didn't insist. Kyuzo had given up being an assassin and had been hired by a noble to be his bodyguard soon after I 'joined' him. Sometimes I felt guilty for entering his life just like that. Maybe he was also putting up with me… **because**.

I heard him move and iommediately knew something was wrong. It wasn't just the fact that Kyuzo never made any noise when he moved, **I** could also feel it. My mother might have once mentioned a term to define the new, peculiar sensation: intuition.

Before I could even look around, I heard Kyuzo's blades cutting through metal and recognized the scent of oil from the killed nobuseri. What where the nobuseri doing in that forest? Another sharp sound and a loud bang and something hit the tree I was in, sending me tumbling on the ground.

Kyuzo felt the last of them and so did I, but it was a tad too late for him to be able to get there and kill him before he struck me. The nobuseri's sword was in mid-air when my blond prince shouted at me, coming up with a name because he didn't know mine:

"Chidori, duck!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Oi."

As always, no initial reaction.

"Oi!" I said again, watching him as he slowly turned his head towards me. "Why are we after these people?"

"Ayamaro wants them dead." the blond replied.

"Ayamaro?! You're his damn bodyguard, not his puppet!" I snarled, suddenly realizing that I was speaking to nobody since my partner had jumped down from the roof to follow the targets. "Kyuzo!!" I half shouted. "I was talking to you!"

Releasing a deep sigh, I followed him. I was seventeen and finally, my mind was starting to brighten a little. 'Those people' he had been sent after were obviously samurai, except for the brown-haired girl. She looked like a priestess or something like that. The two samurai were a man who seemed to be in his late forties, dressed in white robes and a kid who couldn't have been much younger than me, wearing ridiculous pants. The older man sensed Kyuzo from afar and turned around. His two companions stopped as well, looking puzzled.

"Come out." the samurai said in a deep voice I took a few moments to analyze.

Kyuzo revealed himself calmly, knowing there was no point in hiding anymore.

"Who are you, samurai?"

Instead of a reply, Kyuzo drew his swords and when the other man didn't react, the samurai kid attempted to draw his own katana.

"Now, now, let's not interfere. This battle is not for children like us." I whispered in his ear, bending slightly over his shoulder.

He winced, he hadn't expected me to pop out of nowhere behind him. He pushed his sword back cautiously, keeping his eyes on the sharp, long needle pointed at his neck. If one of those stung him, he would have been dead in a matter of seconds. He grinded his teeth and made sure the girl was alright from the corner of his eye before gazing back at his sensei and the mysterious, blond samurai.

The moment I made sure the boy wasn't going to stick his nose in their fight, the two men looked at us. The older one stared at me thoroughly, analyzing my features, my clothes and my weapons. Kyuzo's eyes lingered on my face for a moment after his opponent turned his attention back to him. I was simply staring at the gray-haired samurai in a way that suggested I would strike the old man myself if Kyuzo didn't end that duel fast.

--

"Nice mark you got there, on your neck, Kyuzo." Kyogo sneered the moment he saw us walking back to the room all three of us had to share. "I knew you two were up to something, but love marks? How… inappropriate for a samurai."

Actually, the mark on Kyuzo's neck was a small cut the one named Kambei had inflicted upon him during their duel. Kyogo must have recognized the blade cut, but he was in a good mood and couldn't miss such an opportunity. I glared and within a few seconds, three sharp senbon were pointed at his neck. The samurai froze immediately, aware of the painful death he'd die if the poison on those needles made even the slightest contact with his skin. I wasn't joking around.

Unlike my blond friend, I wasn't Ayamaro's employee. I didn't have to put up with Kyogo. However, Kyuzo was still able to think clear about the consequences and held out a hand between us. I would usually step back at once, but this time it really took me a few moments to decide, since I considered killing him there and then the best choice. Kyogo sniffed and stepped backwards, glaring at me. I ignored him and continued to walk casually along the hall, with Kyuzo following me closely.

Ever since his duel with Kambei, something inside me had changed. I had become more quiet and aggressive and nightmares woke me up in the middle of the night, although I couldn't remember any of them in the morning. Shimada Kambei. I thought I'd never see his face ever again. I hoped that he would die, being on the losing part every time, but it seemed that I had no luck in my grudge for him. Nor did he, in his attempt to escape his past.

Once we were safely away from the clown, I felt Kyuzo's gaze boring holes through my back and turned around. He must have seen something in my eyes, because he motioned for me to get inside the room and be quiet. Yes, he was right, I was about to scream out the entire story. The hall wouldn't have been the proper place to do that.

As soon as he turned the lock on the door he released a sigh and looked at me with that mixture of feelings I knew all too well. I couldn't take it. I was about to snap when he put a finger over my lips, still holding my gaze.

"Not here." he whispered. "Not now."

--

I gasped as I felt the smell of oil and blood invade my nostrils when another nobuseri fell under my twin blades. Not far from my current position, Kyuzo and Kambei were killing their own enemies, for the first time fighting on the same side. I couldn't understand why Kyuzo wanted to join Kambei's group, or rather, I didn't want to understand. How ironical destiny could be.

A bullet missed me by little and killed one of the nobuseri behind me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my blond friend fighting Kyogo and stopped to catch my breath. I had never liked Kyogo and didn't care what happened to him, but a part of me hoped he would convince Kyuzo to go back to Ayamaro. Anything but to join Kambei and his bunch of merry samurai!

I decided to take my anger on the nobuseri and went back to fighting, running into some of Kambei's men on my way into the bandits' ranks. I was rather artistic with my blades, not quite skilled since I had been stubborn enough not to want to learn everything Kyuzo could have taught me. Still, my fervent dance was enough to cut through the metal armors and kill, so it didn't really make any difference. I was better in the ninja arts though.

I wiped the oil splattered on my cheek with the back of my hand and plunged my katana into a nobuseri trying to sneak behind me. I peeked over the dead bodies to see how Kyuzo was doing and smirked to myself, trying to stop myself from bursting out into maniacal laughter. It had been all over faster than I had originally anticipated. Kyogo was staring cross-eyed at the red clad samurai's katana, blood coming out of his mouth.

At the same time I noticed a pair of eyes fixing me from behind and felt another enemy approach me from a rain of sparks. The next second, I could see the samurai boy's terrified expression through the two parts of the metal body I had just sliced. I jumped backwards, avoiding the explosion I knew would come and hit another nobuseri, sending him into a rock. How interesting that boy was…

His eyes were always meeting mine with such discontent and revulsion I almost felt flattered. I stopped in the middle of the battlefield, with a malicious sneer spread across my lips as I looked deep into those emerald eyes. A wave of smoke broke the lock between our eyes for a few moments, but as soon as it disappeared, the heavy thread of hatred was connecting us again. If Kyuzo had someone he could be so willingly patient to duel with to death, so could I. And what an opponent I had chosen: Kambei's student.

It was only when I heard Kambei's voice that I redirected my attention. Kyogo was already dead. I saw Kyuzo thrust his katanas back into their sheath and walked toward them, keeping my eyes on the corpse at the blonde's feet.

"And your friend?" I heard the older samurai ask in his low voice, obviously talking about me.

I looked up, trying to meet Kyuzo's eyes and when I did, I knew there was no turning back. He was determined to go through Hell only to battle that man I loathed. For the first time in so many years, I bit back my feelings and fixed Kambei's dark gray eyes. I found there nothing that I was familiar with and smirked defiantly. So, he hadn't been left unscathed.

"I will join you as well." I said in a confident voice.

After all, I was eager to get my prize, wasn't I?


	3. Chapter 3

"Rikichi, you will go with Gorobei and Heihachi." Kambei said. "Shichiroji, you Kyuzo and Chidori shall go with Kirara-dono."

"But, Kamebi-sama!" the priestess protested as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "They're our enemies! We're not even sure they can be trusted!"

"I'm sorry, Kirara-dono. We don't have enough time." the old man said to her, giving her no time to retort.

I hid my smirk and glanced at my blond partner. He was waiting patiently, his face stoical as ever. The blond man named Shichiroji exchanged a quick glance with Kambei himself and then we all set off, each on his own way. Since Shichiroji was his right hand, he was some sort of leader of our group. Not that I complained. Of course they didn't have any reasons to trust us.

He asked me to stay with the priestess, not quite sure about how well I would do if I were to guard their back and asked Kyuzo to stay in the front, having already noticed his quick reflexes and great senses. He stayed behind us and I could feel his gaze linger on me from time to time, probably making sure I wasn't going to try anything. Kambei didn't trust me completely, like he trusted Kyuzo. Shichiroji didn't, either. Good for them.

As for me, I still wasn't completely certain about my reason for joining them. It could have been that kid, but my interest in him wasn't that important. I was going to get bored of waiting eventually, plus that I had no apparent reason to want a duel with him, like Kyuzo had with Kambei. It could have been to torment the old man. Or perhaps, after so many years spent with Kyuzo in so many places and 'serving' under so many idiots, I couldn't even imagine myself without him.

I had never given any thought to why I've stayed with him for so long. Nor to why he accepted me, even though I was a true burden back then, when I didn't know how to defend myself. I realized that I had probably needed a reason to live. After my mother died of pneumonia in that late winter, I was all alone. "_We only live in other people's eyes. If there's no one there left to see us, then we have no reason to live at all. Kyuzo gave me that reason, almost six years ago. He'd do just fine without me… perhaps better than ever. But I'd be all alone again. Anything is better than to be alone_."

I frowned slightly as these thoughts passed through my head and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Even though I had Kyuzo in front of me and Shichiroji behind, anything could happen. I had to stay focused and alert at all times. Kirara looked at me from the corner of her eye, but I ignored her. My duty was to protect her, not to be nice to her.

"Are you a samurai?" she suddenly asked.

From her tone, I guessed she had omitted the word 'even' so as not to upset me too much. I didn't turn my head to look at her.

"Not really."

"But you have the swords."

"A katana doesn't make anyone a samurai." I said, my thought wandering to that samurai boy, Katsushiro.

"Then why did you come?" she asked sharply, not really caring about being polite anymore. "We need samurai. If you're not one, I don't understand why you're here."

I knew she was expecting an answer from me. I was also aware that she had drawn Kyuzo's attention with that question. _"Stupid girl." _I thought, glaring at the rocks we stepped on. I was ready to give her an equally impolite reply, but Shichiroji intervened uninvited.

"Maa, maa, Kirara-dono. Kambei said we need all the help we can get. Chidori-san may not be a samurai, but her skills are undoubtedly great. Her ninja skills may also be of great help to us, you know. There aren't many people left who know how to use the ninja arts. The nobuseri wouldn't know how to deal with that."

I decided I wouldn't let the irritated sigh escape my throat and kept walking without another word.

"Tell me, Chidori-san, where did you learn ninja arts?" the blond samurai behind asked.

"Someone taught me." I replied curtly, not wanting to say anything more about the three years Kyuzo had spent teaching me stealth, poison use, pressure points, the use of ninja weapons (such as the senbon, the poisoned needles I used the most from my ninja arsenal) and many other things.

It seemed hard to believe that a samurai as dedicated as Kyuzo would know such secrets, but one of the only things I knew about his past was that he had once had a ninja comrade. They had spent a few years together, until the ninja got killed. During those years, Kyuzo found a way to improve his samurai skills using ninja secrets. Since I was reluctant to be trained as a samurai, he had decided to teach me ninja arts first.

Suddenly, I tensed and Kyuzo stopped, drawing his katanas. He disappeared ahead without a word and he made no sound as he ran, giving Shichiroji a hint about who could have been training me as a ninja. I drew my own twin blades and waited, closing my eyes for a moment of peace before the battle. Shichiroji took his weapon and prepared for the attack as well.

Kirara shifted her weight, moving a small rock when she did.

"Don't move!" I hissed at her.

But it was too late. One of the nobuseri had heard us.

"Get her to safety!" the blond told me as his weapon made contact with the robot's armor, breaking through it easily.

I took Kirara's wrist and pulled her after me, keeping only one of my two swords in my left hand, since I was left-handed. I spotted Kyuzo not far from us, fighting some of the robots himself. In a moment, I pushed Kirara to the ground and threw myself over her to protect her from the bullet that hit the rock a few inches above my head. I felt a few pebbles hit the back of my skull and got up in an instant, slicing the nobuseri with one swift move.

The priestess got up on shaky legs. One of her kness was bleeding, but it wasn't anything serious. She could still run if she had to. I took her hand again and ran toward Kyuzo, who was just putting his katanas back into their sheath. We stopped next to him and looked behind for Shichiroji, who was walking along the rocky path as if nothing had happened, even though I saw worry I his eyes when he got closer.

I asked them to stay for a moment before we head off again and knelt in front of Kirara, taking a small flacon out of my bag to put some of its content on the priestess's wound.

"This should help." I said. "It will soothe the pain."

She stared at me, probably wondering whether or not I had put poison in that ointment too, but gave me a small nod and murmured a 'thank you'. I kept a smirk for myself as we continued our 'adventure' to the 'rock that looked like a wing'.

Half an hour later we were fighting again. This time they had taken us a bit by surprise. I kept cursing as the robots came one by one toward us, hitting us with everything they had. I thrust my sword into one of them, feeling the oil spurt on my face. I wrinkled my nose, disgusted, but I didn't have time to complain, because another one blocked both my swords and I couldn't set them free to cut him. Shichiroji was just as busy as me, surrounded by three of them.

I heard Kirara scream and my stomach cringed for an unknown reason. I pushed the robot away with my feet and landed on my back on the hard rocks, hitting myself at the base of my spinal column. When I managed to get up, I had to block the nobuseri's sword with one of my own and I used the other one to cut him in two. The pain in my back made my feet go numb and I fell on my knees, panting. Shichiroji offered me a hand, but I shook my head and got up on my own, still staggering a bit.

"Kyuzo!" I exclaimed when I saw the gash on his arm.

I immediately made the connection with Kirara's scream. A nobuseri had probably attacked her and he jumped in the way to stop him. I snorted. He had never done anything like that for me! I realized I was thinking about it as if I were jealous and burst into a maniacal laughter that made two pairs of eyes stare at me and probably question my sanity. Kyuzo was used to it. He ignored me.

I suppose he was upset. After all, it was my job to protect the priestess. It was my fault he had gotten hurt, not hers. But I still wasn't going to give him any of my special ointment. **Because.**

And I burst into laughter again.


	4. Chapter 4

I couldn't believe they had prepared an entire house just for us! Indeed, it only had four small enough rooms, but it seemed bigger to me than any place I had ever slept in. It remembered me of where I used to live with my mother, only it was a lot bigger.

We had to use three of the rooms as dorms, since they were small. Kikuchiyo shared one of the dorms with Heihachi and Gorobei, Kambei, Shichiroji and Katsushiro took the second one and the third, which was also the smallest, remained for me and Kyuzo. I didn't mind. I knew I was going to have that room to myself since Kyuzo preferred sleeping outside.

We didn't have any time to rest, however; Kambei made sure of that. Shortly after we arrived, he had us all doing something. He asked Kyuzo to teach the villagers how to use an arrow and asked me if I could bobby trap the area outside the village. I nodded, but it was going to take me a long time to do it. Kanna wasn't as small as I had imagined after all.

A few minutes after I started placing the bobby traps I also started cursing myself for coming into this suicidal mission. I was actually muttering to myself, wiping the sweat from my forehead from time to time. By nightfall, I hadn't even finished the main entrance area and even though I tried to continue, Shichiroji came after me.

"Chidori-san! We thought you'd run away!" he smiled. "Come on. We have to get some rest. You can continue tomorrow. It's too dark to see anything anyway."

I winked and rose from the ground, dusting off my hands and clothes, feeling dirty. All I wanted was a bath and a nice, warm cup of tea. From the looks of it, I wasn't going to get any of that. We walked back to our house, where everybody else was having dinner. Kyuzo wasn't there. I wondered where he might have gone. Kambei motioned for me to sit and have some rice, but I refused politely. I wasn't really hungry. Just tired.

"How are the preparations going?" the white clad samurai asked, putting his bowl of rice down.

"In a few days, we'll be ready to face an entire army!" Heihachi grinned. "Don't worry. These people are hard-working. Everything will be finished on time."

Kambei nodded shortly. I raised a brow, wondering if he would be on the losing side again. The odds were against us, we couldn't deny it. I noticed the old man was looking at me and I glared back, getting up to leave and look for Kyuzo. No one else besides Katsushiro noticed that quiet exchange of looks between us, but he wasn't important enough to make me care. I just walked away, ignoring everyone.

I wasted half an hour I could have peacefully slept in **my** nice little room to find Kyuzo and when I finally spotted him under a tree in the woods, he simply ignored me. I did the same thing, pulling out the sake bottle I had sneaked under my cloak from the house and taking a few sips. It tasted great after half a day of hard work. I could already feel my muscles melt with that pleasurable pain. I stared at the bottle for a while, my head swirling a bit by now.

When I raised my eyes, he was gazing at me. I smirked, knowing very well what that gaze meant: stop drinking. Like hell I would. If I couldn't have a goddamn bath and a fuckin' cup of tea, I could at least have some warm sake for tonight.

"How's your wound?" I asked casually, taking another sip from my already half-empty bottle.

"Hn."

"Oh, really? Good for you." I mumbled, throwing him the little flacon of ointment.

He caught it expertly. It would have hit his head otherwise.

"I've been planting bombs all day." I said, watching him as he took off his red trench coat to take care of the wound on his upper arm. "You've been training farmers. Sounds fun. Maybe if I manage to finish putting those things in the ground until the end of the year, I'll join you. Kambei can stick those exploding things up his-"

"You're drunk."

"I know. People **do** get drunk after having a whole bottle of sake. And I haven't eaten anything either." I shrugged. "I came to see you."

He threw back the ointment and it did hit **my **head.

"Ouch." I muttered.

I didn't bother pick the flacon from the ground next to me. I couldn't even keep my head straight; it kept falling down. I bit my lip, still conscious enough to realize how pathetic I must have been looking to him, Mr. Perfect, who never got drunk. A silent thread of curses ran in circles through my head and it wasn't just because of the alcohol.

"Promise me you'll kick Kambei's ass… one day…"

My voice was shaky, I could hear it and it was embarrassing, but I didn't really care at the moment. Kyuzo probably decided I had had enough alcohol for one night and stood up, easily lifting me from the ground in his arms to carry me back home.

"Lucky!" I chirped. "My room has… uh… a separate entrance … We don't have to go through the front… but why… can't you just let me sleep outside? We could… share a tree…"

"Because."

I frowned, a sudden chill making me shiver. I pressed closer to him in search for a little warmth and hold on tight to his muscular arms. My eyes opened as I felt the stitches on his coat's upper arm and the vague smile on my lips melted in an instant.

"Put me down." I ordered huskily. "I can walk on my own."

Would Kyuzo ever do what I asked, no, ordered him to? No. Of course not. He was Kyuzo, after all. I rolled my eyes and tried to get down from his arms, but he didn't let me go. He knew I'd probably fall the moment my feet touched the ground. I knew that too, but it didn't matter. I couldn't believe the priestess had actually insisted on stitching his coat after he got hurt… I wasn't really sure I could make the difference between a needle and a thread and I would have probably pricked my finger a lot, but I was feeling… betrayed. Just because I hadn't been the one stitching his coat.

"Put me down!" I hissed, struggling in his arms.

He glared and let me fall on the floor in my room and I crawled under the sheets on my own, proud of myself. I wanted to turn around and say good night to him, but he was gone already. I bit my lip and rolled on the other side with an irritated sigh, suddenly upset with myself.

"Fuckdamnfuckdamnfuckdamn..."

I kept muttering like that for a while and then I fell asleep, having stupid dreams of Kirara stitching my mouth. Great day. Really great day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks and hugs to everyone who reads this story and especially those who reviewed: Illegitimi, orangexxpopsicle and Wishes I Was Human. Sorry for taking so long to update. ****To make it up to you, I've posted a drawing of mine with Kyuzo and Chidori on deviantART. You can find the link in my bio****. I hope you like it!**

I finished covering the one hundred and twenty seventh bobby trap for that day and let myself fall on my back, releasing a long, frustrated sigh. I was almost done. Only three more traps and my job was done, but I was sure Kambei would quickly find something else for me to do. It must have been pretty easy for him to supervise everything and just say if it was okay or not. I knew he was a wise man, but I had never seen that side of him before and it was really pissing me off. I couldn't stand taking orders from him. I didn't even know why I still listened to him.

Suddenly realizing I was being watched, I raised my head in the dirt and saw a pair of black boots I knew very well. I frowned and let my head fall back to its original position on the grass. I hadn't expected him to speak first.

"If I were the enemy, you would have been dead by now." he said grimly.

"Yeah, I know." I replied, a bit taken aback by how many words he had used at once. "But you're **not** the enemy. What have you come here for? Need my healing ointment?"

I realized I was more bitter than necessary, but still, he didn't say anything and I decided to keep my mouth shut. I had no reason to be angry with him, and even if I were, he wouldn't care. I sighed, trying to ask the questions nicely this time.

"What are you doing here? I doubt you came just to see my face this evening."

"Hn."

"He sent you on patrol, huh?" I smirked, looking at the sky. "Then why are you here? I'm not a part of the patrol. The outpost is in **that** direction." I pointed to the east.

"I'm done." he replied.

My smirk faded and I rolled on my stomach, looking up at him. If he was done, why was he there instead of just wandering around or taking a quick nap in the forest? Then, without a word, he took his twin blades and cut the air where my head had been the moment before. I had jumped back merely a moment before. If I hadn't, he would have cut my head off my shoulders.

He didn't give me time to get my own swords and attacked swiftly, the point of his sword cutting a strand of my hair. I flipped backwards, gasping in shock at how close that was. I used a smoke bomb to buy myself a few seconds to draw my swords and got ready for the serious duel. I was tired, but, as usual, he wasn't. Apparently, he had decided to give me one last lesson before the battle.

He came out of the shadows and stroke even before the smoke dissipated, making me once more look up to him for his great senses. I saw his eyes for a moment, when our four blades clenched furiously. A frown darkened my face and I pushed him backward, giving myself some space and a second to breathe before I attacked again, swiftly avoiding all his counter-attacks.

Our battles had always seemed more like a dance, at least to me. Of course, I didn't have his elegance and probably my moves looked a bit stiff and not quite under control, but I loved dueling with him. **But** he had never tried to kill me until then. I wondered if I had done something wrong and looked for the answer into his eyes, like I always did when something troubled me. I couldn't find anything and that saddened me somewhat, making me inattentive. I didn't even realize where his katana was until I felt its cold metal on my neck.

"Keep your focus." he snorted.

"Kyuzo?" I asked weakly after he turned around, putting his katanas back into their sheath. He didn't say anything, which meant that I could speak. "I want to tell you something tonight… after I finish placing the last three bobby traps."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye and I saw a shadow on his face that made me think he knew I was going to tell him what he didn't let me say that night, after my little quarrel with Kyogo. I could still remember those whispered words: _"Not here. Not now." _

"You know where to find me." he said before walking away, leaving me alone on the dark, empty field.

"Yeah…" I whispered to the wind. "Somehow I'll always know where to find you."

--

I pulled the blanket around my trembling body, jealous of his ability to resist to even the harshest conditions. It wasn't really that cold, but the wind made it feel like it was in the middle of the winter.

"How can you sit here all night and not freeze to death?" I asked, annoyed by the fact that I was a mere weakling that couldn't stay in the cold for even half an hour. "It's cold tonight. I know it's **my** room, but I can make an exception for you. Besides, there's plenty of room on the floor." I sneered.

He turned his gaze on me and I stopped trembling, looking at the dead leaves at my feet. I brought my knees to my chest and curled my arms around them. I had to find the best words to tell him. And still, all I could mutter out eventually was a blabber even I couldn't understand. Apparently, he could, because when I looked in his eyes again he nodded slightly.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't kill him, though." I added quickly, rising from the ground. "I'm cold. I'm going back to the house. If you get cold later…"

I shrugged and walked away, not knowing what else to say. I knew he heard everything I said, but I had no idea if he actually **listened**. I would have been surprised if he did.

When I got back to the house, ready to have at least a bowl of rice to eat, I was surprised to see Kirara and her little sister with the rest of the samurai. They had just brought dinner. I sat quietly on the floor after muttering some half-hearted greetings and took a bowl and a set of chopsticks from the tray in the middle of the 'circle' the samurai had formed.

Kambei was still reviewing the progress for that day, asking everybody for details about their work. The kid next to him was glaring at me, having already finished his rice while I hadn't even begun eating mine. Then, the white-clad samurai looked at me, obviously waiting for whatever information I had to 'report'.

"I finished planting the bobby-traps. One hundred and thirty." I said in a plain voice.

"Good." he nodded, apparently pleased. "Tomorrow I want everybody rested and ready for battle. I fear we don't have much time left."

"So enjoy this bowl of rice." Heihachi chuckled. "It might be the last one you taste."

I frowned at the joke and suddenly felt too sick to eat.

"Isn't Kyuzo-dono coming to eat?" Kirara asked me from the other side of the circle, bringing a few curious gazes upon me as they waited for an answer.

"I don't think so." I replied, taking the bowl with me as I stood and walked toward my room. "Good night."

And the wooden panel slammed against the wall as I found myself back in the comforting small room. I felt a presence and immediately drew one of my swords, with the bowl of rice still in my right hand. Kyuzo didn't even flinch in the corner he had claimed as his already. I sighed and put the katana back in its sheath with a lazy move, letting myself fall on the 'bed'. My back side protested, only to be ignored. I considered him for a moment, and then held out my hand to give him the bowl.

"Just take it." I said as he soundlessly refused it. "You'll die of starvation and miss the big party tomorrow."

He looked at me coldly and I put the rice next to him, too tired to stay on my feet any longer. I muttered 'good night' and slipped under the sheets, falling asleep almost instantly. An entire army of nobuseri could have chopped me there and then and I wouldn't have awakened.

An hour before dawn, I woke up and saw the half-empty bowl of rice.


	6. Chapter 6

The smell of oil, smoke and blood filled my nostrils as the wind swept across my battlefield, where a few minutes before I had slain the last few remaining nobuseri attacking Kanna. The others had gone for the ship, according to Kambei's 'genius' plan. I had been asked to stay behind and make sure the village was entirely safe.

My feet were numb and the blades felt heavier than ever in my bruised hands. I let them fall on the ground and bent down on my knees on the withered grass, gritting my teeth at the stabbing pain in my strained muscles. Keeping my eyes open was a considerable effort as well, so I closed them for a moment, allowing myself to wonder what Kyuzo was doing at the moment. Hm, probably slicing through one of the damned robots.

I could see the nobuseri's ship fumigating in the distance, over the tree tops. Behind me, Kanna was bleeding as well. A few houses had been burned to the ground and some people were in Kirara's care, with more or less severe injuries. Other than that, the walls were still holding and most of the villagers were well enough to be still pessimistic about everything, so I wasn't going to waste time worrying about them. As far as I was concerned, this battle was over.

"Samurai-samaaa! Samurai-samaaa!!"

I turned my head, barely refraining from making a face when I collected my katanas and got up from the ground, thrusting them back into their sheaths.

"What is it?" I asked coldly, gazing at the villager trembling in front of me.

"Nobuseri! In the village!"

I started at the sound of the dreaded 'n' word, but sprinted toward the village gates nonetheless. If I didn't hurry, there would be more than just a few casualties and I didn't want everyone to blame it on my inattention. The wind swept coolly through my hair, making the sweat on my forehead feel much better. I didn't know how I was still able to run with that speed after jumping around after nobuseri on the field all day, but I was looking forward to the end of this battle. I suppose that was the only thing I needed to increase my stamina; knowing that it would all be over in just a few hours.

I stopped in the center of the village, looking around for any sign of the troublemakers, but there was none and the villagers were nowhere to be seen either. I took a minute to catch my breath, then lay on the ground and put my ear against the earth, trying to decipher the various vibrations. I sneered.

Damn.

"Don't move a muscle, samurai."

Ten of them, in a circle around me. No way out. Well, it looked like I had to make one of my own, but the gun touching my temple was going to make it more difficult.

"How many of you are there?" the bandit asked in a rumbling voice.

"Eight." I replied sincerely.

He burst into an incredulous laughter and pushed the gun down, making my head throb with the sudden pain.

"Eight of you? You must be joking, little girl. Look at yourself. How can you even dare call yourself a samurai, idiot?"

"I never did call myself a samurai, IDIOT. You did!" I snapped, pushing the gun away with my hand and rolling on the ground to kick him.

He stopped me easily and knocked me down, while another bandit made sure I wouldn't try anything like that again by placing his sword over my neck. One move and I was going to be nothing more than a headless corpse. I knew immediately that my poor samurai skills would be of no help in that situation, so I ransacked my brain for a ninja solution.

There was no way I was going to use a bomb. Though efficient, it would have blowed me up as well; okay, maybe half of the village too. Other weapons were also useless right now since I wasn't allowed to move my hands. My last alternative was a deadly gas bomb. Since the nobuseri weren't expecting it, they would inhale the poison at least once before realizing that they're starting to choke, while I had the advantage of awareness. I had taught myself to hold my breath for almost 2 minutes, and in 2 minutes, the bandits would all be dead and the poison gone as if it never were. The odds were enticingly favorable.

I smirked, moving my finger almost imperceptibly to pull out the small bomb from a hidden pocket on my hip, made just for situations like this one.

"What should we do with her?" one of the bandits asked with a chuckle.

"Kill her, idiot, what el-"

He chocked with his own words. The one who had threatened me with the gun collapsed first, followed by two others until the rest of them realized they had been poisoned.

"You little-" one of them growled before making some guttural noises and falling on the ground.

Another one fell without a word to my left. The last one was already breathing heavily, unable to support himself anymore. The sword was trembling against my skin, grazing it lightly. I pushed against the ground to avoid any injury it may have caused if the dumb nobuseri dropped it, but it was futile, as the robot made one last effort to get revenge and knocked me unconscious with the hilt. I felt a slitting pain in my skull and my vision blurred, darkening completely eventually. It was then that I lost control over my breathing.


	7. Chapter 7

A few moments after I became aware of the steady pulse throbbing in my head I opened my eyes, grateful for the darkness in the room. I recognized the familiar scent of my small room in the samurai house in Kanna and another scent, more dear to me than anything else, so close to me that I felt I could just reach out and grasp it so it would never leave my side again.

"Kyuzo?" I asked, my voice weak and husky.

There was no reply, but I knew he was there, listening. My head hurt so much tears stung my eyes and I bit my lip so I wouldn't whine. I still had some dignity and I intended to keep it.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Nine hours."

"Did I…"

"Manage to almost kill yourself?" he asked caustically. "Yes, you did."

Was that **irony**?! Kyuzo and irony were two things I could never bring together no matter what, although I had been trying in the last few years. So why now? Behind the unexpected sarcasm, he sounded a bit upset, perhaps even more than that, and it made me feel weird, since I didn't know this Kyuzo who showed so much emotion all of the sudden. He was a stranger to me.

"How…" I started, unsure of whether he would bite back again or not. "Uhm… I don't remember too much. Just ten nobuseri and myself, pinned to the ground by a sword twice my size."

I didn't know why I felt the need to explain the situation to him. I was sure he didn't want to hear my pathetic excuses for the trouble I had got myself into, and yet I thought he had the right to know what a silly weakling I was. I wanted to see it in his eyes: disappointment. Disgust. Repulsion. Anything that could indeed prove to me that this wasn't the Kyuzo I knew, the Kyuzo that wouldn't judge me. It hurt more to know that he didn't care. After all, he had tried to teach me. I was the one who had refused to learn.

"I'm sorry." I managed to mutter.

"But you did kill the nobuseri without any collateral damage." another voice responded, making me start up in surprise.

I gritted my teeth as I recognized Kambei's voice. Was he trying to fuckin' cheer me up?! Anyway, that** was** a private conversation!! He had no right to barge in when he saw fit and neither did he have any right to be in my room uninvited!... Unless Kyuzo had agreed to his coming. Damn blond.

"I'm glad you're still alive, Chidori-san. We lost Gorobei in the battle." the old man continued, as if I cared who had been weaker than me and died.

"One man less is an important difference. Two would have been too much, huh?"

I felt him kneel next to where I was lying, his white robes rustling lightly.

"It's not about men, but about allies. Friends."

I scoffed, frowning irritated.

"I am **not** your friend. An unwilling ally perhaps, Kambei-sama."

He took a moment to meditate upon my words and then rose from the wooden floor.

"I see." Kambei said, something in his voice telling me that he really did see why I was there actually.

As soon as he was out of my room I felt relieved. I hated him even more now. I was beginning to think he'd forgotten me completely. He didn't know who I was. To him, I was just Chidori now, no one else. To everyone else as well. But who was I to Kyuzo? After so many years we had spent together I had begun to hope that he would think of me as more than just a dumb, stubborn student. I hoped he thought of me as a friend. However, hope was never enough for me. I had to know.

"Kyuu-chan?" I whispered, using his nickname for the first time since that first day.

I wanted to ask him what I meant to him. Even knowing that I meant nothing was still better than nothing. I was frustrated. About what, I didn't know. Nothing was ever enough to me.

"Did you worry for me?"

What a stupid question to ask an emotionless person like him.

"No."

I don't know why on earth I was expecting a different reply.

"I trust you." he added, making my eyes pop open in surprise.

I sat up as fast as the throb in my temples allowed, looking for him in the dark to lock my eyes with his. I told myself I must have been hallucinating. Perhaps I was already dead, or this was all just a dream.

"You… what?!" I asked sheepishly, desperately struggling against the damned tears forming in my eyes. "Are you drunk?" my only defense came out of my mouth as a quavering, irrational question. Of course he wasn't drunk. After all, I got drunk a lot more often than him… who never did.

Yet there was no reply.

"This is nonsense." I muttered. "Who are you and what have you done with Kyuzo?"

The Kyuzo I knew never trusted anyone. I was angry and although the reason was beyond my understanding, I wanted to release my anger on something… or someone.

"Don't tell me that, dammit!" I shouted, ignoring the stabbing pain that shot through my body when I moved again so that I could grab him by the collar. "I don't want you to trust me!!"

I wasn't insane. I had my own reasons for reacting like that, reasons I was suddenly aware of. Now I knew. I was angry because I knew I would disappoint him. I didn't deserve to be his friend. If he didn't trust me, there was nothing for me to worry about, because he would expect me to fail, or better, not care.

"Find someone else to trust." I said, suddenly calming down enough to let my hand slide along the soft fabric of his trench coat.

I could see the bandage wrapped around my head hanging from my left temple and I raised my hand to remove it completely, but he caught my wrist and forcefully pushed my hand back down in my lap. He pulled the bandage tighter around my head and made a knot, making sure it would hurt a bit more than it was necessary so that I would remember not to tell him what to do ever again. I refused to show the pain, though.

After he finished retaliating, Kyuzo pushed a bowl of rice into my hands and stood up, heading for the exterior door. I didn't really want him to go.

"Kyuzo?"

One more step and he stopped, not turning around, but obviously willing to listen to what I wanted to say.

"Will you… stay here tonight? It rained a lot this morning and the soil is damp. You might… catch a cold."

I let myself fall against the wall and hit the back of my head as the door opened and closed. Did that mean he was upset with me? Funny. I was upset with myself too.

Because of that, I was still awake when he came back, half an hour later.


End file.
